Abolish prisons.
In favour of what?
Thanks for asking! So a lot of laws are bullshit, like sex worker laws and drug laws, can be thrown out at least locking people up for posession and instead help them get help for addiction if they are or if not leave them alone, or using the services of sex workers (or just merely sex workers existing. Sex work is work). A lot of laws around immigration etc are too, so you know.
The only laws then that really matter are stealing stuff and harming others.
The first problem can be solved by giving people what they need to live in most cases. Harm is harder but it could be solved by having more community, talking about these things more often and restorative and transformative justice.
If, however, there are people who for whatever reason cannot stop harming others then yes, there should be something analagous to ‘prisons’ but with the focus being not on mistreating them, profit etc but with actually improving their lives. I believe some countries in Europe follow this model and it works better than the frankly fucked up ones that exist in most places.
I agree that a lot of laws are absolute garbage, like sex work laws and drug laws. Prohibition never worked, yet we keep on trying. I agree that the only laws we need are ones that prevent harm to others, which I include “theft” under.
I don’t agree that giving everyone their needs will stop theft. If we assume everyone has their needs met, then what we have left is wants, and wants are a driving factor for many violent crimes and thefts.
I agree with you over all in needing an overhaul. There are many models better for reform, but I think we will also always need prisons for a small group of the population. I agree that not everyone should end up there, and that it should be the last stop after attempting to reform an individual or help them if they need it in other ways. I also think it shouldn’t be pleasant, because that is the last stop.
But before we can even talk about that last step, we need to deal with all of the issues around crime, as you said by ensuring people have what they need, mental health help is readily available to anyone who needs it, and things of the like so that we have a better baseline for what we need in the most extreme measures.
I think most criminals can reform under the right conditions, and some European models are great for that, but I know some cannot. It is sad, but there is a point of no return and we have to acknowledge that if we want to keep people safe.
Thank you for sharing your point of view. :)
